The Thin Line Between Social Phobia And Shyness
When can you say that someone is just shy, and when can you say that some already has a social phobia? It is very hard to distinguish between the two because oftentimes, social phobia is simply thought to be shyness. However, in spite of the fact that shy people can be a little uneasy around other people, the level of anxiety that is felt by people who suffer from social phobias are on a high level that is beyond that of the typical shy person. And that spells the difference between the two. The onset of social phobia is usually seen during the early adolescence stage.
There are several consequences that a teen with a social phobia has to face. Aside from alienating herself from the social scene and veering away from dates and in social situations, this phobia may also take its toll on his or her education. This is the time when social phobia starts to pose a great problem for teens.
An example is this girl I knew in high school. T first, we thought she was just the shy type, so whenever she declines to attend parties and social gatherings, we just let her. We figured she wasn’t the type to attend social events. But as time went by, her plight got worse, to the point that she doesn’t even come to class anymore because she was always afraid to speak and recite in class.
I don’t know what happened to that girl; none of us knew. The news is that she and her family left for another country. I guess nothing can be done now, but still, I think that this case in point proves that social phobia should be dealt with accordingly because it’s a serious problem, not only for teens and for young adults. So if you know someone who manifests extreme and irrational fear of social situations, report it to a person in authority so that something might be done before things get out of hand.
